Have you thought about how all holidays often revolve around food? It’s not that strange – food brings us together! Even Valentine’s Day, which is a somewhat smaller holiday, is probably most often associated with food. But for the first time ever, it might not be about a dinner at your favorite restaurant. Instead, many of us choose to spend this Valentine’s Day at home, and what would be better than cooking a three-course menu?

Going out to dinner is nice, there’s no denying that. But cooking dinner together is also nice, and it opens up a whole lot of opportunities to explore something new together. Whether it’s a new dish, the cooking itself, or simply going all-in to play MasterChef for an evening, cooking gives us the opportunity to spend time together. And what is Valentine’s Day all about if not that? So, put your aprons on, turn up your favourite music and explore the kitchen together on Sunday!

This is a three-course menu that has been created and selected just for Valentine’s Day. Flavours from the sea are interspersed with root vegetables and herbs through both the starter and the main course, which ends with a light chocolate mousse.

Pilgrim mussels with parsnip puree
Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
2 parsnips
1 tablespoon butter
50-100 ml milk of your choice
Salt and pepper
50 ml olive oil
Half a lemon (juice)
About 5 sugar snap peas
100 ml herbs of your choice (e.g. chives, parsley and mint)
Salt and pepper
2-3 walnuts
6 pilgrim scallops
olive oil + butter to fry in

Instructions:
1. Cut the parsnips into approximately 2×2 cm pieces.
2. Boil water in a saucepan.
3. Add the parsnips and cook until soft, about 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, you can pour olive oil, spices and the lemon into a blender. Process until everything is well mixed.
5. Rinse and cut the sugar snap peas into small pieces.
6. Then mash the parsnips with a fork and mix in the butter while they are hot.
7. Add milk a little at a time until you have a smooth puree.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Heat a frying pan with olive oil. Once hot, add a large knob of butter and fry the scallops for about 45 seconds on each side.
10. Serve the scallops with the parsnip puree, drizzle over the herb oil and sprinkle with sugar snap peas and walnuts.
11. All done!

Oven-baked salmon with root vegetables and parsley cream
Time: preparation approx. 30 minutes + 1 hour in oven and fridge

Ingredients:
About 300 g of potatoes
About 250-300 g salmon fillet
3-4 carrots, preferably in different colours
About 50 g of sugar snap peas
1 bag chard (65 g)
50 ml almonds
50 ml olive oil
Salt

Pickled radishes:
200 g radishes
100 ml vinegar
150 ml sugar
300 ml water
1 tsp mustard seeds (optional)
A pinch of salt

Parsley cream:
200 ml creme fraiche
A handful of parsley
Half a lemon (juice)
Salt & pepper

Instructions:
1. Start by pickling the radishes: Slice them thinly with a mandoline slicer and boil the rest of the ingredients until the sugar dissolves.
2. Add the radishes to the hot mixture and stir. Place in the fridge for at least one hour.
3. Heat the oven to 200 degrees.
4. Rinse the potatoes thoroughly and place in a bowl. Drizzle generously with olive oil and salt.
5. Transfer the potatoes to an ovenproof dish and place in the oven for about 45 minutes. Set the timer for 10 minutes to start with.
6. Cut the carrots in half lengthwise and place them in the same bowl as the potatoes. Mix again with the olive oil.
7. When the timer goes off – place the carrots on top of the potatoes and return to the oven. Set the timer for 15 minutes.
8. Place the salmon in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. When the timer goes off, put the salmon in for 15-20 minutes.
9. Make the sauce: chop the parsley and mix with lemon, salt and pepper. Taste.
10. Bring the water and salt to the boil, add the sugar snap peas and cook them for 2-3 minutes.
11. Heat up a dry frying pan and toast the almonds for about 5 minutes. Stir continuously.
12. Serve chard, boiled sugar peas, root vegetables and salmon with the parsley sauce, pickled radishes and roasted almonds.
13. All done!

White chocolate mousse with passion fruit and coconut
Time: 30 minutes + one hour in the fridge

Ingredients:
150 g white chocolate
1 egg yolk
250 ml whipping cream
1 passion fruit
A handful of toasted coconut chips
Raspberries (about 4-6)

Instructions:
1. Melt the white chocolate in a water bath. Stir and keep an eye so it doesn’t burn.
2. Beat the egg yolk and mix into the white chocolate a little at a time until you have a smooth cream.
3. Whip the cream hard.
4. Pour the chocolate cream into the cream and squeeze the lemon into it. Mix.
5. Place the mousse in the fridge for a while or pour into glasses immediately. Spray it if you want a nice pattern.
6. Leave to cool for at least an hour.
7. Top with passion fruit, raspberries and toasted coconut chips just before serving.
8. All done!